2+ 2+ Messelite Ca2(Fe , Mn )(PO4)2 • 2H2O c 2001-2005 Mineral Data Publishing, version 1

Crystal Data: Triclinic. Point Group: [1] (by analogy to fairfieldite). As internally radial globular, hemispherical, or sheaflike aggregates of lamellar crystals, to 1.5 cm; may be granular.

Physical Properties: Cleavage: Perfect on {001}, producing curved irregular surfaces. Hardness = 3.5 D(meas.) = 3.16 D(calc.) = n.d.

Optical Properties: Translucent. Color: White, pale greenish white, greenish gray, pink. Luster: Vitreous. Optical Class: Biaxial (+). α = 1.644–1.654 β = 1.649–1.659 γ = 1.660–1.680 2V(meas.) = 5◦–30◦

Cell Data: Space Group: [P 1] (by analogy to fairfieldite). Z = n.d.

X-ray Powder Pattern: Kings Mountain, North Carolina, USA. 6.36 (10), 3.17 (10), 3.02 (9), 2.67 (4), 3.58 (3), 2.80 (3), 2.63 (3)

Chemistry: (1) (2) (3)

P2O5 36.90 38.96 39.26 Fe2O3 0.83 FeO 20.92 16.62 9.94 MnO 3.94 7.87 9.81 MgO 1.36 0.09 CaO 23.19 25.64 31.02

H2O 11.30 11.00 9.97 insol. 1.39 Total 99.83 100.18 100.00 (1) Palermo #1 mine, New Hampshire, USA. (2) Kings Mountain, North Carolina, USA. • (3) Ca2(Fe, Mn)(PO4)2 2H2O with Fe:Mn = 1:1. Mineral Group: Fairfieldite group.

Occurrence: Principally as a late stage hydrothermal alteration product in zoned complex granite pegmatites.

Association: Triphylite, anapaite, vivianite, ludlamite, siderite, goyazite, whitlockite, herderite, amblygonite, eosphorite, brazilianite, graftonite, fairfieldite, phosphoferrite, hur´eaulite.

Distribution: In Germany, from the Prinz Heinrich von Hessen and the Messel oil slate mines, Messel, Hesse; and from Hagendorf, Bavaria. In the Norr¨opegmatite, on R˚an¨oIsland, Sweden. At Pˇribyslavice, Czech Republic. In the Salsigne mine, 15 km north of Carcassone, Aude, France. From Kustanai, Kazakhstan. In the USA, at the Foote mine, near Kings Mountain, Cleveland Co., North Carolina; from the Palermo #1 mine, near North Groton, Grafton Co., New Hampshire; at the Tip Top, White Elephant, Linwood, and Bull Moose mines, near Custer, Custer Co., and the Big Chief, Ingersoll, and Dan Patch mines, near Keystone, Pennington Co., South Dakota. Large crystals from Rapid Creek, Yukon Territory, Canada. At the Enio´ pegmatite mine, northeast of Galil´eia, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Name: For the locality that produced the first specimens, Messel, Germany.

References: (1) Frondel, C. (1955) Neomesselite [messelite] and beta-roselite: two new members of the fairfieldite group. Amer. Mineral., 40, 828–833. (2) Cech,ˇ F. and K. Padˇera (1958) Messelit aus den Phosphatnestern im Granit bei Pˇribyslavice (B¨ohmen)und das Messelitproblem. Chem. Erde, 19, 436–449 (in German). (3) (1959) Amer. Mineral., 44, 469 (abs. ref. 2). (4) Privett, D.R. (1973) Messelite at Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Southeast Geology, 15, 71–75. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of Mineral Data Publishing.